Top Ten Ways To Slow Down For Good

The New Year is a great opportunity for us to renew our commitment to ourselves ~ guilt-free. The fact is a New Year does not have to mean a New You. The Old You is just fine. Consider it the perfect time to start a new self-care regimen to carry that Adorable Old You through December 2011.

Establish gadget-free spaces. In our hyper-connected world, our gadgets sometimes take precedence over the people in our lives. While ‘now’ is all we really have, you needn’t spend every second of it in your online universe.

Reduce the immediacy of your communication by actually writing a letter of thanks to someone instead of an email. The person will appreciate your efforts and the time it took for you to send the note.

Busy is a mind-set. Remember that activity does not equal productivity. Taking time to think is as valuable as implementing the idea itself.

Disengage from clock combat. Spend a day without wearing or watch or access to the time.

Avoid summertime meltdowns by managing expectations. When you communicate effectively with family, friends and even your boss, you avert possible upsets before they happen.

Treat your food intake as your primary activity, not as a secondary one as you do something else (such as read or watch TV).

Identify potentially hazardous behaviors such as texting while driving. Turn off your cell phone in the car.

Learn to say ‘no’ with kindness. When you do so, you are truly saying ‘yes’ to yourself.

Slay the inner pig-dog, a mythical, procrastinating creature (called Schweinehund in German) that tells you ‘now’ is never a good idea.

10. Embrace time abundance, a notion of having more than enough time to do what is required to fulfill your ultimate purpose.